4 months ago
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US President Joe Biden is weighing proposals to reform the Supreme Court, US media reported Tuesday, including possible term limits and a new ethics code for the conservative-dominated bench.
The Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has dealt several major blows to Democratic priorities in recent years -- most notably by repealing the nationwide right to abortion -- with Biden increasingly voicing disagreement.
This year the court significantly rolled back the power of federal agencies, while also partially ruling in early July in favor of ex-president Donald Trump's immunity claims.
Biden, seeking reelection in November against Trump, has previously resisted calls to overhaul or reform the court of nine lifetime-appointed justices, which includes three nominated by his Republican predecessor.
But that may be changing, according to several US media reports, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the planning.
It was unclear whether Biden would come out in support of the measures in the near future or in his second term if he wins the presidential election in November, the New York Times reported.
However, the measures Biden is reportedly considering -- including backing a constitutional amendment that would overturn the court's ruling on presidential immunity -- would require bipartisan congressional support that is almost certainly out of reach.
Amid the legal setbacks the Supreme Court has handed down to Democrats, it has also recently been engulfed in ethics scandals.
Conservative justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas refused to step aside on cases related to the 2020 election, even as flags linked to Trump's false election claims were discovered to be flown outside Alito's home, and Thomas's wife was part of Trump's effort to overturn the vote result.
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